Planer/Thicknesser?

Nomad

Just measured the widest part of the body on my Vintage Lemon Drop LP copy, and it's 325mm. The Jet's max width s 318mm. Given that I'm primarily interested in making something similar (a double cut, perhaps), the prospect of being able to thickness a full body width influences things somewhat. I can live with a body width of around, say, 315mm.

Maybe something like that and an 8" planer would be the way to go.

chickenbonejohn

I wouldn't risk taping parts together to pass through a thicknesser. The blade speed is very high, and the work is being fed through by the powerfeed rollers, so there's some pretty extreme forces at work. It's not uncommon for the blades (even a sharp set) to bite into a bit of interlocking grain or a knot and shatter a thin piece of wood with alarmingly violent results. You really don't want that happening with parts that are stuck together with doublesided tape, with the added risk of the two pieces being pulled apart and fired out at high velocity, or breaking  up under the blade and damaging the rollers or feed mechanism...not to mention the risk of personal injury. My method of raising the bed of the thicknesser with a temporarily fixed full-width packer has worked fine for me, and I don't think it poses any particular risk as long as it's all firmly clamped and you don't take off an excessive amount on each pass with planing thin stock. Nevertheless, ear defenders, dustmask and a full face visor is advised...and don't stand "in the line of fire" in case anything gets spat out.

octatonic

As I said, I wouldn't do it either.

Drum sander or bust for this sort of thing.

I have seen people do it, however.

Nomad

Yes, the forces aren't exactly benign, and a packer sounds like a better idea.

chickenbonejohn

Nomad said:

Yes, the forces aren't exactly benign, and a packer sounds like a better idea.

I've thicknessed several hundred fretboards on my Axminster thicknesser by using a packer on top of the bed. I make sure the packer runs the full width of the cutting blades and I clamp it down to the infeed and outfeed tables. It's a practical and cheap "work round" which produces good results for me. I've taken stuff down to 3 or 4mm for neck laminations using this method.

Nomad

chickenbonejohn said:

Nomad said:

Yes, the forces aren't exactly benign, and a packer sounds like a better idea.

I've thicknessed several hundred fretboards on my Axminster thicknesser by using a packer on top of the bed. I make sure the packer runs the full width of the cutting blades and I clamp it down to the infeed and outfeed tables. It's a practical and cheap "work round" which produces good results for me. I've taken stuff down to 3 or 4mm for neck laminations using this method.

I'm starting to think that the used 10" Clarke at 100 quid (and a 1.5 hour round trip) might be the more sensible choice at the moment. While the Jet is more attractive (possibly better made, wider, thinner min thickness), it's 200 quid, and a good 3.5 to 4 hour round trip.

I'm also not in a mad rush to start making a solid body electric with a one-piece body. On that, how vital is it to be able to thickness the body in one go? While a single piece would be nice, I have no issue with making the body from two pieces, which could be planed and thicknessed individually, so it would seem to be a question of how well aligned they are when gluing. Glue on a good flat surface, and some light sanding to finish the surface before adding the maple cap?

Dedicated bench top planers seem to be quit e thin on the ground at the budget end. So far, it seems that SIP and Draper are the main two (both in the £150-200 range, new), and both have mixed reviews. The main difference that I can see is that the Draper has some sort of electronic speed control and a slightly different mechanism for the blade guard. (I need to find some photos of how the fence is held up and adjusted.) Those machines are both 6" - is that likely to be a restriction when doing bodies?

There was something about the Titan (and possibly other combined machines) that I didn't mention - the dust extractor port has to be moved around from top to bottom depending on what job is being done. Apparently, it's a bit of a faff with the Titan in particular, while other flavours have an easier changeover method. If I'm honest, I'd rather the extractor port was just there and didn't need to be set up, and that's nudging me towards having two machines.

Sambostar

I've just found ANOTHER timber workshop, who I already knew the people in.  They have a massive pillar drill and something like a 20" 6 tonne planer and a 4 tonne thicknesser.  Happy days, their unit is less than a mile away.  Need to buy wood now.

there is absolutely no point in wasting £2 or £3k on a tool you may only use occasionally, even if you DO have that much money to burn.

Nomad

A wee update - I got the Clarke (was asking 110 quid, and paid 90). I had a quick play, and it seems okay so far, but might need some fettling (no surprise). The in/out support rollers aren't up to much - I found them fiddly to adjust. I was able to get them level with the table/plate inside, but found that they would change position as I tightened up the clamping screws. I've only tried some narrow bits of wood so far, but the evenness of the cut and consistency of thickness along the length is impressive - variation on my digital calliper of around 0.03 to 0.04mm over about 18".

I had a little go at doing a thin bit on a thick bit (no clamping or anything), and that was pretty good as well - got a strip of 20mm wide meranti about 4mm thick, Need to look into doing this better. Also need to try a wide bit of wood to check consistency of thickness across the width.

There is some snipe at the trailing end (40-50mm, maybe 0.5mm deep), which I think means the setup of the outfeed support roller needs to be looked at again.

Overall, I'm very pleased with this for the price I paid - does a very good job of converting scrap into stock at least. Clarke also have decent spares backup, so new blades and the like shouldn't be an issue.

Still looking for a planer. Not in a huge rush, so I'll be looking out for used opportunities.

Sambostar

Problem I find is by the time you have paid for new planer blades and disposables and such, you kind of end up wishing you'd got your local to do it for a few beers and a bit of cash.  Although I hear you, there is that element and satisfaction and expertdom of doing everything yourself and sometimes it's a necessity.

Mind you, although I do make a few guitar bodies now and then and rougher woodworking stuff for clients, I prefer metal.  I rather have a decent mig and tig welder for the cash, not £90 obviously.

Nomad

Sambostar said:

Problem I find is by the time you have paid for new planer blades and disposables and such, you kind of end up wishing you'd got your local to do it for a few beers and a bit of cash.  Although I hear you, there is that element and satisfaction and expertdom of doing everything yourself and sometimes it's a necessity.

Given that my spare room is a tip workshop, and has been since the day I moved in here nearly 15 years ago, it's a fair bet that doing it myself is a large part of it. Even if I need new blades (and a setting jig), I'll be well under the £237 for a new machine.

Sambostar said:

Mind you, although I do make a few guitar bodies now and then and rougher woodworking stuff for clients, I prefer metal.  I rather have a decent mig and tig welder for the cash, not £90 obviously.

I've never been a welder, but I do make good use of my lathe and mill (nowhere near 90 quid).